On the 100th anniversary of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s birth, I must credit him with changing my life. When I wrote my 1979 high school senior paper about the injustice of Mandela’s imprisonment—expressing my outrage that he would probably die behind bars—I had no hope or expectation that I would ever meet Tata Madiba. So when I actually did meet him in 1994, I had no choice but to open my mind to the magic of the impossible. The privilege of shaking hands with the man who was willing to sacrifice his life for the cause of justice infused me with the responsibility to make a difference, however big or small, in this world. In these days of anxiety, fear and what too often feels like chaos, nothing else makes sense but to use whatever time we have on this Earth to do good. Stand up for what’s right. Express empathy and compassion often. And don’t let anyone or anything imprison your mind. When you are mentally strong and free, no chains or bars, figurative or real, can stop you. May the next 100 years yield at least a 1,000 women and men around the world whose contributions equal Mandela’s profound example of #truth, #justice and #love for #humanity. It might seem like a tall order, but then, nothing is impossible. #Mandela100 #WalkToFreedom …see more